N.H.L: ROUNDUP

N.H.L: ROUNDUP; Devils' Lemieux Remembers Richard

Published: May 31, 2000

Maurice Richard, whose funeral is scheduled for today in Montreal, was an idol in hockey - particularly in Canada, especially in the province of Quebec and, most important, to people of French descent.

The Devils' Claude Lemieux, who is French-Canadian and from Quebec, reflected on Richard before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals last night between the Devils and the Dallas Stars at Continental Arena.

''We're all going to pass away some day,'' Lemieux said of the former Canadiens star, who died of cancer on Saturday night at the age of 78. ''I think he had a great life and a huge impact on every hockey fan in the world and every hockey player. And obviously on a French-Canadian kid like myself. He was it, and he's still it.''

Lemieux said he met Richard when Richard was writing a weekly column for a French-language newspaper in Montreal and he was thrilled when Richard praised him. ''When you are interviewed by the Rocket and he thinks you are a good player and he has great things to say about you, that meant a lot more to us than anything,'' Lemieux said. ''Double the honor.''

When asked what kind of man Richard was, Lemieux replied: ''Such a strong man. So solid, how he carried himself always. Strong handshake. Just a tough man. You could tell. He would never, ever show a weakness. He was strongly opinionated.'' JOE LAPOINTE

MOURNING IN MONTREAL: A stream of mourners filed by Rocket Richard's open coffin yesterday in Montreal, paying respects to the Hall of Famer. Some fans lined up outside the Molson Center as early as 1:30 a.m. to be among the first to view Richard, whose coffin lay at the far end of the rink where the Canadiens now play.

About 3,000 mourners are expected to fill the ornate Notre Dame Basilica today for a more traditional farewell during a funeral the Richard family has struggled to keep simple. A procession before the funeral through downtown Montreal is also scheduled.

But those who wanted to bid their hockey hero a more personal goodbye made their way yesterday through the swiftly moving lines inside the building. The mood was somber. Strains of classical music filled the dark arena as mourners followed a path lined with shrubs and red velvet ropes.

High above Richard's coffin hung two large photos, one of the Rocket zeroing in on the net with a fierce look in his eyes and another of him at the closing ceremonies of the Montreal Forum in 1996.

Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson and Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard were among those who paid their respects. The service is to be televised live across the country on several French and English networks. (AP)